Mischief Managed, and Wounds Healed: A Marauder Story
by HuntressofHope
Summary: What would happen if James survived that fateful night? If he and Remus raised Harry? If Remus couldn't stand living unless he knew exactly why Sirius commited the crimes he did. WolfStar story, don't like don't read.
1. Chapter 1

_"James, are you absolutely sure about this?"_

 _"No, Lils, I'm not." James took a deep breath and turned away from his heavily pregnant wife to his best friend. "But I trust Padfoot, and you should as well. He only wants to keep us and Harry safe, Lily Flower."_

 _Lily looked resignedly at the sheets of her hospital bed. "Alright. But tell me the plan again?"_

—

 _"Obliviate," Sirius' voice trembled faintly as he waved his wand over his friends faces. He waited for their eyes to clear before speaking._

 _"James, who is your Secret Keeper?"_

 _James looked taken aback. "You, of course Pads. I would only trust you with my family's life." The unwavering certainty and loyalty evident in his voice made Sirius' throat close up._

 _"Thanks, Prongs. Now, one more question. When was the last time You talked to Wormtail?"_

 _James thought for a minute. "Two weeks ago. We exchanged owls. He had asked about Lily, and I told him how close we were to becoming parents." A dopey, lazy smile press across Jame's face. Sirius gave him a strained smile back. James sobered slightly. "Padfoot? You okay?"_

 _"Yeah, I...I'm just fine. You and Lily are safe, and I'm about to be a godfather. Nothing could be better."_

 _Right outside the door, a million thoughts raced through Peter Pettigrew's mind. Oh, how much information, how much_ power, _he now held over the Potters and Sirius. Finally, finally, he was on the path to making a name for himself._

—

 _Two years later_

 _James stood rooted to the ground outside his home, watching it smolder and crumble as if in a dream. It wasn't until the first tears had started falling that he heard the choking, heaving cry of his son._

 _"Harry! Lily!" He barged into the house, ignoring the dark holes painting gruesome murals on the walls that told a story of a battle taking place._

 _"Dada!" Harry cried from the end of the hall as he heard James's familiar, thumping feet._

 _"Harry! I'm here Buddy. Daddy's here..." James trailed off at the unbelievable sight that met him. Everything in Harry's nursery had been blasted to smithereens, except for his cradle, where the eighteen month old boy was sitting up, sobbing and reaching for the still form of his mother._

 _"Dada! Momma!" Harry sobbed even harder._

 _"Hush bud, I know," he murmured to the shaking boy. He gently kneeled down in front of his still wife, sprawled out in front of the cradle._

 _"Lily?" He whispered gently, running a trembling hand up her back and through her hair. "Lily, darling, wake up now. You're scaring Harry. He's alright, you're alright. I'm here. I got you," he continued to murmur soft nothings to her as he gathered her petite body into his arms and rolled her over so he could smooth her silky hair away from her face...and look into her blank, dead, eyes, frozen forever into a look of terror._

 _"No." James shook his head and buried his face into her hair. "No! Lily, wake up Flower! I love you! You have to wake up! For me! For Harry! Please Flower," his shouts trailed into broken sobbing as her still, cold form remained just that, still and cold. Harry's crying was just white noise now, a backdrop to the panic running through James' head. And at the lead, was the one thought that would haunt him for the rest of his life._

 _He had been betrayed by his own brother._

 _Remus Lupin was awakened by a glowing stag patronus standing at the foot of his bed._

" _Moony," It choked out James' distressed voice. "I need you, here, now. Voldemort attacked Lily and Harry. Sirius Black is the spy." He spat out Sirius' name like a curse._

" _No," Remus breathed. Sirius? The spy? How? But Lily and Harry hadn't left their home in Godric's Hollow in months, and the only people that knew the address was James and Sirius._

 _Reality took hold of Remus and he threw off his bedclothes, dressing in record time. He apparated into a small cemetery in the middle of Godric's Hollow, and hurried into the street as soon as he had his bearing about him. He looked around frantically, he had never been to James and Lily's home, for safety purposes of course. Oh, how he wished James had made him or even Peter the Secret Keeper, instead of that lying, mangy, low-life they once called brother. But, that was just it. Sirius was their brother in all but blood. And now, this betrayal, Remus dared say the pain was worse than his first full moon._

 _His heightened senses were finally able to hear the bustle of people hurrying about down the street, and he broke into a dead run. At the end of the road was a house that he could tell had once been beautiful, but was now caving in on itself, and the plush, green yard was swarming with aurors and frantic neighbors._

 _Remus barged into the midst of it all, searching desperately for a familiar face._

" _Remus?" Oh, finally._

" _Marlene!" Remus turned to face her. "Oh thank Merlin you're here. Where's James? And Lily? Are they alright?"_

 _Marlene's eyes welled with fresh tears at the mention of Lily. "Oh, Remus. Lily's gone. She died protecting Harry from Voldemort."_

 _Remus was frozen to the spot. Lily? Dead? One of the brightest witches ever to grace the halls of Hogwarts, killed?_

 _Oh, Great Godric, James._

 _Remus caught sight of him, standing at the edge of the lawn, surrounded by aurors, looking hopelessly lost and, dare he say it, dead. He immediately started towards him, cutting off whatever Marlene was rambling about. James saw him a few yards away and seemed to relax marginally._

" _Moony!"_

" _James, I came as fast as I could," He breathed, opening his arms to his fellow Marauder and embracing him strongly. (Thank Merlin it was the new moon tonight, when he actually had some strength in his arms.)_

 _James fell into his embrace gratefully, and Remus felt tears soak through the shoulder of his jumper. "Lily...Harry…"_

" _I know, Prongs. I heard about Lily. I'm so, so sorry."_

 _James gripped him tighter. "I should have been there. I could have...could have distracted him. Given them time to apparate away."_

" _No, James," Remus pulled back, but kept a firm grip on the older man's shoulder's. "Don't you dare think that way. This was not. Your. Fault. The blame lies entirely on that scumbag Sirius Black, and with Voldemort."_

 _James choked out a sound that sounded like a sob. "Padfoot-"_

" _I know, James," Remus murmured, feeling his own eyes well up in tears, "I'm going to miss Padfoot too."_

 ** _Yes? No? Maybe? No flames, please. First serious Fanfic in quite a while, (no, not Sirius, SERIOUS, with an 'o'...oh, whatever.) If I continue shall depend entirely on your responses. Thanks!_**


	2. Chapter 2

**Just to be clear, this story is WolfStar, which is Remus/Sirius. If that's not your thing, then leave now. I'm not forcing you to read this.**

Five years later...

Sirius hummed slowly and closed his eyes, clenching his jaw to keep his teeth from chattering against the hopeless, depressing cold of Azkaban. A dementor slowly drifted over at the suspicious noise, but slunk away as a prisoner a few cells down started shrieking and laughing hysterically.

Bella, ever the dramatic. He thought ruefully. He was rather depressed tonight, more so than usual that is. It was almost full moon, maybe two or three days, and he had a perfect view of it outside his window. As hard as he tried, he couldn't help but think of Remus-beautiful, wonderful, Remus-taking on the full moon alone. Wormtail, the bloody vermin, was rotting in the sewers, he was in Azkaban with no end to his sentence in sight, and Prongs was dead, as the head security auror had told him after a few months in prison. That day, he had lost all the fight the dementors hadn't taken from him.

His humming broke off as he heard multiple sets of footsteps shuffling towards him.

Must be a new neighbor, he thought as he stood up shakily and leaned heavily against the bars to meet the newcomer.

He couldn't be more wrong.

"R-Remus? Remus Lupin, is it really you?"

Sure enough, none other than his Moony stood before him, looking like hell because of the closeness of the moon.

"Sirius." He said coldly. "We need to talk."

Sirius titled his head in agreement, and the aurors stepped out of hearing range, but still within sight of their "most dangerous criminal."

"Moony," Sirius just about moaned out the name, reaching to him desperately through the bars.

"Don't call me that, Black!" Remus snarled, jerking out of Sirius's reach. "Those names are reserved for the Marauders to use, and Padfoot died the night you told Voldemort about James and Lily."

"Remus," Sirius gasped, throwing himself against the bars. "Remus, please, you have to listen to me. I-it was Peter. He became the Secret Keeper a week before Harry was born. I swear to you."

"Oh really? And how does James not remember this?"

"I erased his memory."

"How convenient." Remus scowled. He stared at Sirius for a few seconds before sighing heavily and rubbing his eyes tiredly. Sirius could tell the past few years had not been easy on him. Deeper, more prominent scars lined his face and arms, and his eyes showed a weariness and pain he had never seen on Remus before.

"Why are you here, Moony?" Sirius asked softly. He felt his heart lighten slightly when Remus didn't berate him for using the name.

"I couldn't stand it anymore. I can't stop thinking about you, about what could have driven you to Voldemort. I..I had to see you, Sirius."

"Rem," Sirius stretched his arm out again, reaching for the distraught werewolf. His heart leapt when Remus moved slowly into his reach, and cautiously grasped his hand. A shock shot up his arm, leaving him breathless at his first human contact in years, and with Remus, the man he loves, no less. He brought Remus's hand to his face, kissing every inch of it he could and putting it against his cheek. "Moony, listen to me. A week before Harry was born, I went to James and Lily and demanded they make Peter the Secret Keeper instead of me. I was too predictable." And so, Remus listened, frowning, while Sirius hurriedly told the story. When he finished, Remus looked more confused than he had ever been. And Remus hated being confused.

"But...you...you murdered all those people, blew Peter up..."

"I didn't, Moony. Peter had his wand in his sleeve and blew up the street behind him when I drew my wand. He transformed into a rat and escaped into the sewer, I saw him."

Sirius stared into Remus's swirling chocolate and hazel eyes, begging him to believe him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked quietly.

"I couldn't, Remus. It was war. It would have made you a target, put you in more danger. I couldn't stand that," he murmured quietly.

Remus was quiet for a long time after that. When he finally looked up, tears were threatening to roll down his face.

"I want to believe you Padfoot, more than anything. I want you back. But...it's hard."

"Remus, go back to London, tell the Ministry I'm willing to be tried under Veritaserum, Legilimency, they can take memories and put them in a Pensieve, anything they want. I am completely innocent."

Remus took a deep breath and ran his hand from Sirius's face to the back of his head. "I'll try, Padfoot. I'll try my damn hardest." He leaned in and pressed a kiss to Sirius's forehead through the bars, and Sirius couldn't help but press into the contact, desperate for more. He didn't realize he was whining like a desperate puppy until Remus chuckled against his skin.

"Easy Pads," he whispered. "When I get you out, you can have all the kisses you want."

"Promise?" Sirius breathed, hanging onto Remus like he might disappear.

"I solemnly swear."


End file.
